1. Good Monday Morning

It’s December 6th. Friday is Human Rights Day. Check out the official UN site with archives, quizzes, and event calendars.

Today’s Spotlight is 1,198 words — about a 4 minute read.

2. News To Know Now

Quoted:“Social media can have catastrophic effects, even if the average user only experiences minimal consequences.” — The University of Washington’s Joseph Bak-Coleman discussing how averaging big numbers can distort the extent of the harm experienced by vulnerable people.

a) They may be your devices, but Peleton and NordicTrack customers reported being locked out of features on their connected exercise equipment. The NordicTrack customers were able to bypass the company’s exercise programs in favor of internet videos, including Netflix. Meanwhile, Peloton was criticized by customers who were told that they would have to purchase a subscription to internet workout programs to use their treadmills at all. The company reversed that decision, and there is PC Magazine coverage here.

b) Google has Pixel phone owners protected against non-smiling holiday photos. The company’s new feature allows customers to take a group photo only when everyone in the frame is smiling. Some people may be standing there for a long time based on the photos I see around the holidays.

c) Google also announced that it would delay its mandatory return to its office date past January 10. Despite delays from employees at big companies returning to their offices, we continue to see remote work companies experience financial downturns. The latest is DocuSign. The company’s stock fell 42% Friday after it issued an earnings warning. That loss represented more than $19 billion in market cap.

3. Search Engine News — AMP is Dead & So Are Dot Gov Links

Despite its seeming newness, the search engine optimization industry is well into its second generation. As with every discipline, there is a lot of information published online that is no longer true — or perhaps was never true.

Higher quality links — from universities and government agencies — were once thought to convey a ratings boost to the receiving site. Former Google executive Matt Cutts tried dispelling that notion in 2008, but less informed people continued selling projects based on that flawed theory.

John Mueller, who effectively does much of Cutts’ public facing work these days, tried the same 10 years later, and it still hasn’t fully taken hold. If you have someone insisting that you should create a project specifically for education and government links, we highly recommend Miranda Miller’s new analysis in Search Engine Journal.

Because of Google’s effect in the market, their words and actions are parsed, analyzed, and debated at length. Their code initiatives receive even more attention. Website teams have been known to rush those initiatives to their own websites the moment that they’re made live only to watch them diminish just as quickly.

The most recent initiative to have the rug pulled out from under it is the AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) framework. We never really saw small businesses embrace AMP and big brands already had brand traffic. Google told news publishers that they didn’t have to use AMP and everyone is jumping ship, including marketing sites and even Twitter.

Bottom line: you don’t need AMP or special high-powered links to rank your website high.

4. Spotlight Explainer — UK Big Tech Crackdown

Let’s start with the big news first. The UK Competition and Markets Authority announced last week that Facebook’s parent company Meta must divest itself of last year’s $400 million acquisition of GIPHY.

Those little videos without sound at the bottom of messages? What’s the big deal?

That’s the one. The official looking GIFs were creating revenue from brands and studios. And new films and shows were beginning to be advertised that way too.

So why is this a competitive threat?

The UK didn’t mention any platforms by name, but comments on Twitter and other social media platforms could use those GIFs too. And there’s that whole advertising element to say nothing of user generated GIFs that were copied without the copyright owner’s permission. It’s a real mess.

You said crackdown. What else?

Data company Clearview AI has been ordered to stop processing facial recognition data of people in the UK and to delete all data they’ve stored.

What if people consented?

The industry’s main players have joined regulators in their anger at Clearview after it improperly copied scads of data from Facebook, Google, and other platforms. 

So they copied the pictures without permission?

Yep. And that’s why the UK is ordering the photos to be deleted, as well as warning the company to expect a fine exceeding $20 million.

So the UK is undoing deals and fining miscreants. Anything else?

Oh yes. Here is the announcement of an algorithmic standard published by the Central Data Digital Office after government programs there experienced bias because of poorly defined algorithms. Now the UK government is testing algorithm transparency among some of its councils and agencies to determine how they can best be deployed in the future. 

5. Did That Really Happen? — USPS and Christmas Stamps

Hoaxes posted on social media falsely claimed that the U.S. Postal Service had not issued new stamps for Christmas, but had done so for multiple other non-Christian holidays. 

First, it’s not true. Second, who has this kind of time with the made up war on Christmas, and if you know who they are, please make them stop. Meanwhile, here is Snopes with the true story about all the holiday stamps for sale.

6. Following Up — AI Ethicists Start New Lab

A new AI lab led by Timnit Gebru is being formed as a nonprofit. Gebru led the AI ethics team and was controversially fired by Google last year, followed by the firing of a prominent colleague of hers, and the resignation of their manager.

A first research paper out from the new Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research lab uses aerial imagery of South Africa to show how the legacy of apartheid remains in land use.

7. Protip — Mac Shortcuts

After last week’s nifty iOS privacy primer, we’re back on the Apple side of things with time saving shortcuts to set up on your Mac.

8. Screening Room — VRBO & Your House After WFH

9. Science Fiction World — IBM Helping CVS Get Flu Shots to Hot Spots

Using anonymized data, IBM’s Watson Advertising (yes, advertising) is launching a mobile messaging campaign that projects flu outbreaks up to two weeks in advance.

The program uses weather forecasts, patient data, and search and social media feeds to create a model that then helps CVS push flu shots in a specific area all the way down to the ZIP code level.

10. Coffee Break — This Climate Does Not Exist

You remember those photos of big American cities shrouded in smog during the 1960s and 1970s? You can create a similar view on your street now or add floodwaters and wildfires. It’s not a fun coffee break, but it’s an important one with some sound information for you to explore. Have a look at This Climate Does Not Exist.

11. Sign of The Times

1. Good Monday Morning

It’s November 29th. Chag Sameach. Hanukkah began at sundown last night.

Today’s Spotlight is 983 words — about a 3 1/2 minute read.

2. News To Know Now

Quoted: “This finding is very concerning as it could take days, if not longer, to deploy new security updates as they are released, while threat actors just need hours to exploit exposed services.” — Bleeding Computer’s coverage of a study where researchers reported that 80% of 320 test sites were compromised in under 24 hours.

a) Editing software maker Grammarly raised $200 million to drive new initiatives beyond “conciseness, consistency, and correctness.” Up next: editorial recommendations based on machine learning. Investors valued Grammarly at $13 billion, a massive increase from $1 billion just two years ago. (TechCrunch) 

b) Spotify’s Car View mode was “retired” during the long holiday weekend. Android Police found and confirmed the change while also alluding to Spotify’s new $80 hardware called Car Thing. The company has only said that they are “actively exploring a variety of new ways” to operate in a car, but the built in Car View mode is dead.

c) UArizona students can soon get credit for playing a commercial video game. The university’s history faculty has collaborated with Microsoft on its Age of Empires IV game. The school said that players who interact with the “enhanced experience” by learning history written by the professors can earn one academic credit from the school. 

3. Search Engine News — No Rich Markup for Republished Content

As more websites syndicate their content across multiple channels, only one site will be eligible for “rich markup” in the search results. Those are the non-text cues around a search result like stars, reviews, or other visual changes.

It’s a big deal because websites often republish reviews about their services or products after they were posted on another site like Yelp or Google. Those reviews can still appear in the results, but will not have extra visual cues even if the website’s marketers include them.

We also got data from eMarketer that showed year-over-year increases in retail advertising categories are substantial, even allowing for the pandemic’s arrival in 2020.

4. Spotlight Explainer — Amazon Payment Methods Changing

Amazon’s payment methods have outsize influence. Recent data shows that Amazon has 41% of retail e-commerce in the U.S. No other company holds 7%. The next 10 companies combined only account for 25% of the highly fragmented industry.

In just the last month, Amazon has taken on behemoths like Visa and PayPal while launching its own biometric system.

Visa is on Amazon’s naughty list

Visa credit cards won’t be accepted as an Amazon payment method in the UK beginning January 19, 2022. Visa stock was hammered more than 5% the day that it was announced. And Amazon wasn’t alone. Walmart, Kroger, and Sainsbury have all had beefs with Visa over merchant fees.

PayPal’s Venmo will be accepted next year

PayPal’s Venmo service will become an official Amazon payment method next year even as its parent company’s namesake service is not accepted. Amazon and PayPal weren’t partners for the longest time so this is a bit of an icebreaker.

Amazon One is looking to own the identity world

There are now 87 facilities that accept Amazon One payments that are activated by hovering the palm of a hand over a reader. Amazon desperately wants to be a player in the identity market, allowing its palm reading technology to unlock doors, pay bills, and act as an identity card. Have a look at the identity hegemony they foresee in this video from last year:

5. Did That Really Happen? — Amazon Does Not Chemically Treat Boxes

Just in time for more holiday shopping, here is another look at Snopes debunking a rumor that falsely claimed that chemicals Amazon uses on its boxes can harm pets. The false claim was unfortunately amplified by animal charities.

6. Following Up — Ransomware

We’ve written a lot about ransomware. Our media appetite is always focused on the initial crisis — the disruption of city services, food manufacturing, or energy. But there’s a big cost associated with cleanup and restoration. Anyone who has lost a home to a natural disaster or fire knows this painful concept.

Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request by WYPR in Baltimore, we learned last week that Baltimore County Public Schools have paid nearly $10 million to restore their network  after a ransomware attack one year ago.

Despite the expensive lesson (only $2 million was covered by insurance), the teachers’ union reports that hundreds of employees have ongoing payroll issues and a consultant’s report alleges that the system is still vulnerable.

7. Protip — iOS Privacy Settings

This excellent explainer from The Washington Post this weekend tells how to block ad tracking or make your apps tattle less on your habits while using your iPad or iPhone.

8. Screening Room – Robin, the Delivery Drone

9. Science Fiction World — A Floating City 

Oceanix has signed an agreement with the city of Busan, South Korea to build a 185 acre enclave off the city that floats in the water. Have a look at the concept in Global Construction Review. The deadline is in 4 years, the UN is involved, and costs are expected to reach $200 million.

10. Coffee Break — The Searchable Museum

The National Museum of African American History & Culture has created one of the best interactive museum experiences I’ve ever seen. “Slavery and Freedom” is its first full exhibition and very worth of a visit.

11. Sign of The Times

1. Good Monday Morning

It’s November 15th. Austrians who have not received their COVID-19 vaccine entered a 10 day lockdown a few hours ago. There is also a partial lockdown in Holland, and the German government is considering at least a partial lockdown there.

Today’s Spotlight is 1,310 words — about a 5 minute read.

2. News To Know Now

Quoted:” People with disabilities deserve equal access to all areas of community life, including the private transportation services provided by companies like Uber.”— Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark after the Department of Justice filed suit against Uber. DOJ says that the company’s practice of charging waiting time for passengers with disabilities violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

a) Elon Musk asked his Twitter followers to vote on whether he should sell 10% of his Tesla stock. The world’s wealthiest man then sold nearly $7 billion worth of stock, but the financial press quickly pointed out that Musk had already filed an SEC document two months earlier with a plan to sell the stock last week. Musk’s net worth is estimated at $270 billion and has grown 10-fold in only two years.

b) Google lost an appeal of an EU antitrust case after a European court upheld a $2.8 billion penalty against the company. The penalty was assessed in 2017 after European regulators said that the company’s search results favored its own shopping results over rivals’. EU Competition Commissioner Margreth Vestager has overseen $10 billion in fines assessed to Google parent Alphabet.

c) Microsoft is getting a little meta. The company continued its partnership with Facebook parent Meta and said that its Microsoft Teams collaborative platform will integrate with Meta’s Workplace. Teams will also soon integrate with the Meta Portal camera. (The Verge)

3. Search Engine News — Google My Business Changes Names, Company Will Test “Index Now”

Google Business Profile is the new name for Google My Business. The program has been integrated into Maps and Search for years, and now Google says that it wants you to manage profile information from those programs instead of a separate interface. There are also new phone features that allow you to know which phone calls came from Google search visitors.

Google also will test a new search protocol called “Index Now” that rolled out last month from Microsoft and Yandex, according to Search Engine Journal. The protocol notifies a search engine that the content on a website page has changed and should be indexed. Most search engines proactively index all publicly accessible websites, but doing so only to pages that are flagged as updated can save a huge amount of global bandwidth and energy.

4. Spotlight Explainer — Facebook Political Ad Limits

Facebook announced that it will limit the way that an advertiser can target audiences that would see a political or social advocacy ad. The new restrictions begin on January 19, 2022. 

A Facebook political ad posted after that will not be able to target keywords or affinities relating to “health, race or ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, or sexual orientation.” Here’s part of the example set Facebook used to demonstrate what will be blocked.

• Health causes (e.g., “Lung cancer awareness,” “World Diabetes Day,” “Chemotherapy”)
• Sexual orientation (e.g., “same-sex marriage” and “LGBT culture”)
• Religious practices and groups (e.g., “Catholic Church” and “Jewish holidays”)
• Political beliefs, social issues, causes, organizations, and figures

You don’t sound happy, George. What’s wrong with this?

There is a lot here that will hurt the advocacy groups that you care most about. Regardless of what side of the political spectrum you favor, your charities will have more difficulty finding its audience.

Here is one very simplistic example. Advertisers can’t target a Latino audience directly, but they can target fans of Univision and the 600 Spanish-language newspapers in the U.S. Then they can target people who are most like the people who responded. That’s only about a 2 on a 10 point scale of creative audience development.

Seems like they are trying to stop abuse.

They sure are, and that’s great, but a professional ad agency can target every one of those types of audiences that are shown in the example. We do this regularly for clients. For example, race and ethnicity related designations were halted last year, but it’s easy to develop an audience of Latinos in Louisiana or Sikhs in Chicago. It’s less efficient and therefore more costly for the charity.

So it’s window dressing?

Pretty much. It’s a hurdle that keeps nonprofessionals out of the market. Remember that Facebook political ads were previously cut off entirely. And Facebook has previously wrestled with its advertisers who ran employment or financial ads with age, gender, or race limitations so they very publicly removed for ads of that type. But professional advertisers already knew that it was illegal to advertise a job to people of specific ages or races. 

But this will protect me and my friends from being targeted.

Not really. It’s like we say about computer security. You’re trying to make it difficult for someone to guess that your bank password is password123 and drain your life savings, but most of us wouldn’t be able to stop a true hacker who targets us specifically. That’s why people with cool jobs have restrictive IT departments.

Will I see fewer ads?

Nope. In fact, advertisers can upload a customer list and then ask Facebook to find as many as 20 million Americans most like the people on that list. What you’ll probably see are ads that aren’t as finely targeted, but you’ll still see just as many.

5. Did That Really Happen? — The Plane Tantrum Video is Fake

Despite more than 60 million views on different social media platforms, the video purportedly showing an airline passenger arguing with a flight attendant regarding a passenger’s vaccination status is a hoax. There are indeed plenty of videos showing people behaving horribly. The Public Freakout subreddit has many, but in this case, CNN’s expert fact checker Daniel Dale explains what makes the airline video fake.

6. Following Up — Rivian & Zillow

We told you in October about the filing that showed Amazon owned 20% of EV maker Rivian and that the company was seeking an $80 billion valuation during its IPO. Rivian bounced all the way to $86 billion. Amazon added more stock, bringing its stake to 22% while Ford increased its stake to 12%. Rivian’s market cap is now roughly the size of General Motors’ although the company remains unprofitable and with very little revenue.

We also told you last week about Zillow trying to flip houses via its Zestimate algorithm. What was originally a $300 million loss ballooned to $500 million as Zillow announced last week that it had sold 2,000 of more than 17,000 homes it had contracted for. The company laid off 25% of its staff and said that it expects to lose between 5% and 7% on each house it owns.

7. Protip — Instagram Secrets

Ready to recover deleted posts or stop people from adding you to groups on Instagram? Lifehacker has you covered with these 12 best Instagram settings.

8. Screening Room – No, You’re Crying

9. Science Fiction World — Drag Race In Air Cars

Technically they’re called Alauda Mk3 Speeders although these look more like drones than the speeder Luke flew around the Ewok home planet. Still these puppies topped 90 mph in a short sprint in the Australian desert.

10. Coffee Break — Pet Portraits Matched With Fine Art

Remember when the pandemic first hit and Google’s Culture app let you snap a selfie and matched you to the closest art found in more than 200 museums? They’ve done it again… this time for pictures of your pet. Get the details here.

11. Sign of the Times